PHUKET: A Phuket man shot and wounded by police after a traffic officer was shot at the weekend in Kata-Karon has died in a Phuket hospital.
Somkit Kongtin, 21, is understood to have been the man who shot traffic policeman Husthaporn Thongkhawbour, 36, twice in one leg and once in the other.
Officer Husthaporn told Phuketwan today: ''I feel sorry for the families of both men but I had no choice. I had to fire back. The lesson is for young people to not go outside the law.''
Police killings of suspects are rare on Phuket - so is the shooting of a police officer - and an in-depth investigation of both shootouts is continuing.
Somkit was shot six times. He was ''Fat'' in a criminal pairing that police called ''Fat and Thin.''
Somkit's smaller partner Adisorn Thongyon, 18, was killed on the spot by a shot to the head and a second shot to the stomach in a shootout with police in Phuket's tourist heartland on Sunday afternoon.
The pair had abandoned their motorcycle and ran away on foot after the shooting of Officer Husthaporn as he blocked escape from the Alpina Phuket Nalina Resort and Spa in Ket Kwan Soi, which runs between Patak Road and Patak Thai Na Road, the road behind Club Med Phuket.
Officer Husthaporn, shot three times in his legs, returned fire and hit Somkit, seriously wounding him. Blood dripped from his right leg on the motorcycle. Two more bullets shattered glass inside the resort.
When Somkit got off the motorcycle and ran, large red right footprints marked his path.
The bloody footprints made the pair easy for officers to follow to a partly-built building down a side lane, where both men suffered mortal wounds in a heavy exchange of fire.
Somkit was alive when taken from the site by ambulance to Patong Hospital. He was later transferred to Vachira Hospital in Phuket City, where surgeons operated to save his life.
Somkit died at 7.12pm last night. His body has yet to be claimed. Both men came from Cherng Talay but were suspected of petty offences in Nai Harn when Officer Husthaporn followed them to Kata-Karon.
The policeman had two bullets removed - surgeons decided the third bullet posed no threat - and is recovering after surgery at Phuket International Hospital.
The officer's wife is due to give birth to their second daughter next month.
Phuket Shootout Likely to Trigger Guns CrackdownSomkit Kongtin, 21, is understood to have been the man who shot traffic policeman Husthaporn Thongkhawbour, 36, twice in one leg and once in the other.
Officer Husthaporn told Phuketwan today: ''I feel sorry for the families of both men but I had no choice. I had to fire back. The lesson is for young people to not go outside the law.''
Police killings of suspects are rare on Phuket - so is the shooting of a police officer - and an in-depth investigation of both shootouts is continuing.
Somkit was shot six times. He was ''Fat'' in a criminal pairing that police called ''Fat and Thin.''
Somkit's smaller partner Adisorn Thongyon, 18, was killed on the spot by a shot to the head and a second shot to the stomach in a shootout with police in Phuket's tourist heartland on Sunday afternoon.
The pair had abandoned their motorcycle and ran away on foot after the shooting of Officer Husthaporn as he blocked escape from the Alpina Phuket Nalina Resort and Spa in Ket Kwan Soi, which runs between Patak Road and Patak Thai Na Road, the road behind Club Med Phuket.
Officer Husthaporn, shot three times in his legs, returned fire and hit Somkit, seriously wounding him. Blood dripped from his right leg on the motorcycle. Two more bullets shattered glass inside the resort.
When Somkit got off the motorcycle and ran, large red right footprints marked his path.
The bloody footprints made the pair easy for officers to follow to a partly-built building down a side lane, where both men suffered mortal wounds in a heavy exchange of fire.
Somkit was alive when taken from the site by ambulance to Patong Hospital. He was later transferred to Vachira Hospital in Phuket City, where surgeons operated to save his life.
Somkit died at 7.12pm last night. His body has yet to be claimed. Both men came from Cherng Talay but were suspected of petty offences in Nai Harn when Officer Husthaporn followed them to Kata-Karon.
The policeman had two bullets removed - surgeons decided the third bullet posed no threat - and is recovering after surgery at Phuket International Hospital.
The officer's wife is due to give birth to their second daughter next month.
Latest A policeman was recovering in a Phuket hospital today, the apparent hero of two shootouts in the heart of Phuket's tourist coast. One suspect is dead, the other seriously wounded.
Phuket Shootout Likely to Trigger Guns Crackdown
Phuket Policeman Wounded, Gunman Killed in Kata-Karon Shootout
PHOTO ALBUM A policeman is undergoing surgery after a dramatic Phuket pursuit and shootout in which one man was shot dead and a second seriously wounded.
Phuket Policeman Wounded, Gunman Killed in Kata-Karon Shootout
Officer Husthaporn did his job properly and I am glad he lives to see his second kid. In the moment the thieves started to fire on the officer, even if they only tried not to kill but stop him and intentially aimed for his legs, they showed their dangerous potential and the use of overwelming force and shots to kill were appropriate.
What I do not like - because that is often to be witnessed - is that Thai body snatchers cannot decide what they want to do.
Normally you decide, you want to stabilize the victim first and then go to hospital, or you take him and run as fast as possible to the hospital, stabilize there.
Here it looks - again - they did neither. Wait, but do not give him proper care. No needle in his arm to give fluids, even so the body is bleeding a lot... There is a good chance that this has worsen the impact of the injury (say it friendly). If the medics do not have proper equipement and that is not a fault by itself, they should at least do not wait until police work is done and every journalist made their foto, but take the guy and make a run to the hospital. That is so essential to save a life after trauma.
Thats a little sad, as it is often to be witnessed also with accidents with motorbikes for example. They take a lot of time until they move to hospital. If I were a relative and it would have happened in my home country, I would sue the paramedics and police for not allowing proper care to the shot shooter and I am sure I would win hands down.
That said, I am still pretty happy the police took out these two guys and send a tough message to all the others crooks with guns.
Posted by Lena on June 15, 2011 15:10